Apparatus for printing vignetted photographs.



G. S. BARBERIS APPARATUS FOR PRINTING VIGNETTED PHOTOGRAPHS.

vAPPLICATION FILED MARAEB, 1914.

Patented Jan. 26, 1915.

8 SHEETS-SHEET l.

M0 T/YESSZS A THE NORRIS PETERS 60.. PHOTC-LITHO.. WASHINGTON. D. C

' S. BARBERIS= APPARATUS FOR PRINTING VIGNETTED PHOTOGRAPHS.

APPLICATION FILED MABHZB, 1914.

1 12 346 Patented Jan.26, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

'rIE NORRIS PETERS 60.. PHOTO-LITHOU WASHINGTON. D. c

G. 3.. BARBERIS.

APPARATUS FOR PRINTING VIGNETTED PHOTOGRAPHS.

APPLICATION FILED MAILZS, 1914.

1,126,346. Patented Jan. 26, 1915.

3 SHEET$-SHEET 3.

IZ/ 221 q 50 WITNESSES [4v Vf/YTOR L 7. Wall.

101% %W flan/ "IE NORRIS PETERS ca, PHoro-LITHQ. WASHINGTON. D. 6.

GIUSEIPPE SILVESTRO BA RBEFJS,

0F SALUGGIA, ITALY.

APPARATUS FOR PRINTIITG VIGNE'ITED PHOTOGRAPHS.

Application filed March 28, 1914.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Giusnrrn SiLvnsTRo)ARBERIS, a subject of the King of Italy, residing at Saluggia, Italy,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus forPrinting Vignetted Photo graphs, of which the following isspecification.

It is known that in order to facilitate the execution of vignettedphotographs and portraits in particular, it has been proposed to employapparatus in which a flat vignetter. presenting the desired aperture, isclamped between two fr mes and its distance from the negative to becopied is regulated in modifying the position of the said framesrelatively to the negative. In order to obtain good results it is,however, necessary in certain cases to be able to arrange the elementsof the vignetter in different planes corresponding with differthenegative, because. in portraits for example, the negative is generallyspeaking more transparent at the bust than in the background andconsequently the inner edge of the vignetter toward the bust should belocated at a smaller distance from the negative than the edge of thevignetter surrounding the head if it be desired to obtain uniformvignetting throughout the entire contour. In accordance with the present invention this object is attained by employing a plurality of metal,cardboard, or the like plates for vignetter, these plates being cut outin such a manner as to permit of forming; by the combination of theiredges, the desired aperture in the vignetter and of mounting theseplates in an apparatus which not only permits of displacing the saidplates parallel to the negative but also of arranging them in differentpositions and planes.

he invention is illustrated in panying drawing, in which Figure 1 showsdiagrammatically the formation of a complete vignetter; Fig. 2 is avertical section showing the position of the several plates relativelyto the negativ the accom- Fig. 3 shows the position of the plates informing a vlgnetter with a small aperture;

Fig. 4: 1s a cross section showing an apparatus fitted to the ordinaryprinting frame and permitting of forming a vignetter of the kindillustrated in the preceding figures; view of a corner; Fig. 6 section,of one of the 1g. 0 IS an external 1s av plan, partly in Specificationof Letters Patent.

. the desired size the formation of the Patented J an. 26, 1915. SerialNo. 827,869.

sides; Fig. '7 shows a detail of a modified type; Fig. 8 is a sectionalplan of the corner in Fig. '7; 9 illustrates another type of apparatusin section; Fig. 10 is a section on the line A-B in Fig. 9; Fig. 11 is aplan thereof showing a corner in section, and Figs. 12 to 15 illustrateconstructional details in section for rendering the apparatusindependent of the printing frame and for fitting itthereon.

l ignetters are known which comprise a plate having at its center anaperture of the desired form and having a second plate adapted to bearranged above the most transparent zone of the negative at a lesserdistance therefrom than the first plate.

According to this invention in order to form with a limited number ofparts any vignetter with the usual apertures, no matter what is the sizeof the photograph to be vignetted. I have adopted the arrangementillustrated in Figs. 13. in which by means of plates 6 and by suitablychanging the head plates l. 4 in such a manner as to form ofsemicircular opening 5, it is possible to pass from a large opening (Fl) to the very small opening shown in Fig. 3 because the outline of thelateral plates 6 is such as to form an adequate connection between theedges of the head plates. In Fig. 3 the head plates used are indicatedby the reference numbers 34, 3 2 more any of the independent platesconstituting the vignetter ferent distances from the negative accordingto the transparency of the corresponding Zone of the negative. Figs. 1and 2 illustrate also the application of auxiliary strips 9 which may beof cardboard or of any other material such as opaque cloth or the likeand adapted to be considerably displaced upon the heads of the printingframe; these strips serve to cover the portion of the negative whichwould not be covered by the plates 4, 9. These strips 9 may have lateralextensions 9 or not, as desired, in which latter case they are clampedsolely by the corresponding bars to the shortest sides of the printingframe and this arrangement facilitates their manipulation. The lateraledges of the strips 9 enter channels 22 which each of the bars 13 may beprovided with on its inner edge: this serves to prevent the passage oflight (Fig. 10). application of these auxiliary stripsS) which can bearranged in the same plane as the Fig. 2 shows the other plates or in adifferent plane provided that the rear edges of the latter are covered;this figure also shows that the said strips 9 can be bent back upon thehead of the printing frame so that they do not constitute an obstacle toits support. In order to realize in practice this arrangement of platesin tended to form in front of the negative an aperture of the desiredform and dimensions, it is necessary to provide an apparatus which canbe combined with or united to the printing frame. This apparatus isbroadly constituted by four. uprights projecting at the four corners ofthe printing frame and between which are mounted in such a manner as tobe capable of vertical displacement, parallel and superposed strips ofwood which can be clamped to the frame so that they retain the severalplates referred to above in the desired position and immovablerelatively to each other.

A constructional form of the apparatus is illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6,where four uprights 10 are fixed to angle pieces 11 which are themselvesfixed at their lower part to the corners of an ordinary prining frame12, and at their upper part to alframe 14. Between the uprights 10 andthe angle pieces 11 the wooden strips 13 are held; their ends are shapedin such a manner that they are able to slide along the uprights 10. Theframe 14: may be providedwith set screws 15 by means of which it ispossible to clamp the strips 13 between them and upon the printingframe. The strips 11 serving to screen the opening remaining between theupper wooden strips and the frame are fixed to this frame 11 in thespace not occupied by the angle pieces 11. The projections 11 may beusedto fix a plate of ground glass or the like for diffusing the light.A resilient frame 17 may be arranged upon the upper plane of the frame14; by engaging it in projections constituted by the heads of screws16', this resilient frame is formed by curved flexible strips and bymeans of which it is possible to clamp upon the frame 14 one or 7 moresheets of parchment paper or the like with the same object ofdiff-usingthe light. The shape assumed by this frame when it is desiredto disengage it from its stops is represented in broken lines.

The modification illustrated in Figs. 7

and 8 di'fiers from the foregoing type merely by the fact that the anglepiece 11 is exclusively fixed to the upper frame 11 and at its lowerpart has an arm 11 for retaining the strips 13 which are guided by meansof screws 18 which at the same time serve to "fix the apparatus as awhole to the printing frame. In order to clamp the strips 13 to oneanother and to the printing frame 12, the set screws 15 can be replacedby springs 19 pivoted at 20 and adapted to be turned to act upon aseries of strips 13 or removed constituted by adapted to apparatus anglepieces the provision of be speedily replaced can be engaged at the otherextremity in appropriate catches.

In the embodiment of trated in- Figs. 9 to of which the strips 13 areguided are merely the screws 22 fixed in the frame of the printing frameand the means for clamping these together are conthe inventionillusstrips stituted by springs 23 each of which is pivoted beneath thehead of one of the screws 22 oneach side,

be engaged beneath the head of the screw on the same side. In thismanner a device similar to those previously described is obtained, withthe difierence the upper frame 11 is rendered independent of the rest ofthe apparatus and can be connected with the frame 12 by means ofresilient arms 24: which can be engaged in stops or frame. It is alsopossible to render the printing frame by forming by means of 11 rigidcage in which the strips 13 are held; this cage can be provided withmeans for connecting it with the printing frame. These means may consistof a lower frame 26 and set screws 27 engaged on the outer wall of theprinting frame their other extremity being completely independent of the11 the uprights by means that hooks 25 fixed to the printing.

(Figs. 12 and 13) or of a frame provided with holes 28 in whichprojections 29 fixed to the printing frame are engaged by means of abayonet joint, fitting being insured by a stop 30 (Figs. 14 and 15). Inany event possible to arrange the strips 13, the strips 9, the headplates 1, 4L and the lateral plates, for forming the desired vignette atany desired distance from the negative, these several elements byclamping the strips "13 by means of screws, springs or equivalent means.Finally it is possible to realize with the greatest simplicity all theconditions for obtaining efiects, because paper or ground glass can beprovided on the upper frame for diffusing the light and these diffusionmeans can or removed. It is also possible to-print by arranging theparchment paper frame of cardboard or other appropriate material,directly in contact with the upper plates forming the vignetter or elsebetween strips arranged higher up. In this manner by simultaneouslyproviding the parchment paper or the like above the frame 1 1, owing tothe interval existing between these two sheets a condition is obtainedwhich has been found to be the best for diff-using the light, especiallywhen printing is being effected in a very bright or artificial light.

the best vignetting which may be supported in a with this apparatus itis When employing developing paper or plates it is advisable to coverthe four sides of the apparatus with a covering of black cloth or thelike, to prevent any possibility of light penetrating through the strips13 between which the plates, which as a whole constitute the vignetter,are clamped.

lVhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by United StatesLetters Patent 1s 1. Apparatus for printing vignetted photographscomprising a plurality of independent plates intended to form by theircombination the required aperture, a plurality of bars parallel to thefour sides of the frame intended to clamp between them said plates,means for mounting said bars on the frame of the printing frame, so thatthey are able to move a little in a direction perpendicular to the planeof the printing frame and means for clamping said bars on each other andon the printing frame.

2. Apparatus for printing vignetted photographs comprising a pluralityof independent plates intended to form by their combination the requiredaperture, a plurality of bars parallel to the four sides of the printingframe intended to clamp be tween them said plates and provided withslots on their inner edges, means for mounting said bars on the frame ofthe printing frame so that they are able to move a little in a directionperpendicular to the plane of the printing frame and means for clampingsaid bars on each other and on the printing frame.

8. Apparatus for printing vignetted photographs comprising a pluralityof independent plates intended to form by their combination the requiredaperture, a plurality of bars parallel to the four sides of the printingframe between which the independent plates are inserted, means forconnecting said bars to each other with play, means for clamping saidbars on each other and means for securing the whole apparatus on theprinting frame.

+1. Apparatus for printing vignetted photographs comprising a pluralityof independent plates intended to form by their combination the requiredaperture, a plurality of bars parallel to the four sides of the printingframe between which the independent plates are inserted, angle piecesfixed to the corners of the printing frame and inclosing the ends ofsaid bars, a frame secured to said angle pieces having means forclamping said bars on each other and on the printing frame, and means onsaid frame for affixing on it a pellucid screen.

5. Apparatus for printing vignetted photographs comprising a pluralityof independent plates intended to form by their combination the requiredapertures, a plurality of bars parallel to the four sides of theprinting frame between which the independent plates are inserted, meansfor mounting said bars on the printing frame so that they are able tomove in a direction perpendicular to the frame of the printing frame,means for clamping said bars on each other and on said frame, a framearranged on said bars intended to hold a pellucid screen and a flexibleand resilient frame on said frame for arranging said pellucid screen inthe required position.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GIUSEPPE SILVESTRO BARBERIS. Witnesses:

CARLO Tommy, C. L. FEYLns.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

